Hieroglyphs Study Day in Oxford

Published June 23, 2010 | Challenging the Past Blog | by Marsia Sfakianou Bealby | Takes place on June 26 from 10:30 to 3:30, Oxford time. Egyptologist-led study day at the Griffith Institute Archive and the Ashmolean Museum, limited to 10 people. Marsia's post also includes an itinerary, which includes taking a look at archival records at the Griffith and examining artifacts at the Ashmolean. Don't forget about the coffee!

Three Decades of Discovery - New Insight to Egypt’s Past

Accessed February 14, 2010 | Egypt Today | by May Kaddah | Over the last three decades, technological advancement has allowed archaeologists to answer longstanding questions and refute misconceptions about missing details of Egypt’s history. From the remains of ancient rulers to Napoleon’s flagship, Egypt Today takes you through some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries in the last 30 years, which includes the following topics: tombs of the pyramid builders, the Valley of the Golden Mummies, DNA analysis of Hatshepsut's tooth, the Theban Mapping Project, tomb of Rameses II's sons, underwater archaeology at Alexandria, and more.

Upcoming Exhibit - Seramón, el Enigma de la Momia

Accessed February 6, 2010 | Museo Arqueológico de Alicante

A special thanks goes to Marina Escolano Poveda for passing along some information about a new exhibit coming to the Archaeological Museum in Alicante (I've read it will run from March to October, 2010. I'm sure Marina will correct me if I'm wrong), which will showcase artifacts from the Louvre and Besançon museums, including two mummies (Seramon and Ankhpakhered), their coffins, and funerary equipment. In addition, a part of the exhibit is dedicated to Egyptian objects found at Phoenician, Roman, and other archaeological sites in the Alicante province. Be sure to check out this latter part of the exhibit, as Marina is part of its preparation, writing some of the descriptions of the artifacts for the catalog and advising about other Egyptological aspects of the general exhibit.

The web site is currently only in Spanish, but follow this link to read it in English (translated by Google Translate).

Egypt Tightens Penalties for Relics Robbers, Smugglers

Originally published February 2, 2010 | Agence France Presse and Google | by Riad Abu Awad | An excerpt:

Parliament amended Egypt's antiquities law on Monday to bring in stiffer punishments for the theft and smuggling of relics while granting patent rights to the country's antiquities council.

The amendment requires Egyptians who have antiquities to report their possessions to the Supreme Council of Antiquities, headed by Zahi Hawass, in six months. The sale of antiquities is still banned.

"Parliament agreed on article eight that forbids trade in antiquities but allows possession of antiquities with some individuals, on condition that they cannot use them to benefit others, or to damage and neglect them," Hawass said.

Antiquities Protection Draft Law Continues to Ignite Debates at PA

Originally published January 20, 2010 | Zawya | by Safaa Abdoun | Here's an excerpt of one of my favorite topics - illicit trade and private owning of antiquities:

Protection of Egypt's antiquities was the subject of heated debate at the People's Assembly as steel mogul and senior National Democratic Party MP Ahmed Ezz and Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni argued over private ownership of antiquities.

The point of contention was Article 8, which bans the trade, or any other form of disposal, of antiquities unless there is a written consent from the Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA). It also states that the council has the right to take the antiquity from the owner and offer a reasonable compensation.

[...]

Minster of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, Mofid Shehab, proposed to add a clause to the articles which states that anyone in possession of an antiquity has to notify the council within a year of the law coming into force.

Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour said that the crime of owning an antiquity is only punishable if the owner knows that it is an antiquity and doesn't report it, and he postponed the discussion of this article until the entire law is discussed.

On TV - Discover Channel Unlocks Egypt's Mystery Chamber

Originally published January 15, 2010 | Bangkok Post | Voilà un extrait:

Though the tomb KV63 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was discovered in 2006, it has remained shut to the outside world. The meaning and significance of the tomb's contents - which include unopened relics, blemished inscriptions and delicate artefacts [sic] - were left shrouded in mystery.

The one-hour special, Egypt's Mystery Chamber premieres Sun, Jan 17 at 8pm and repeats the same night at 11pm, Jan 18 at 7am and 1pm, Jan 21 at 6pm, and Jan 24 at 3am and 7am on Discovery['s Science] Channel.

I'll be watching this...will you?

Plans to Make a Formal Request for Nefertiti's Bust are Underway

Originally published December 30, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass | Recent documentation from January 1913 illustrating deception in the acquisition of the bust of Nefertiti gives Dr. Hawass all the ammunition he needs to make a formal request to the Berlin Museum for the return of this artifact. More news is to come concerning this topic.

Exile Over - the Little Ushabti that Could

Originally published October 15 - 21, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Nevine El-Aref

This is a brief story about an adorable 26th Dynasty ushabtis, which is now on its way back to Egypt, after having spent some time in the US for a mere 14 years. This is another page in the saga that is Zahi Hawass' efforts to regain all significant Egyptian artifacts. Although I wouldn't consider this artifact as being very contributory in extending what we already know about the Afterlife and the role ushabtis play in the process of getting there, it will make a nice little addition to the Egyptian Museum's collection.

Ancient Egypt on Exhibit in Little Rock

Originally published October 11, 2009 | Florida Today | by Chuck Bartels

Egypt Takes it Back

Originally published October 10, 2009 | iAfrica News | by Ines Bel Aiba

France does the Right Thing and Gets to Dig at Saqqara Again

Originally published October 14, 2009 | Heritage Key | by Ann Wuyts

The Egyptology world has been abuzz about the latest drama going down at the SCA. It nearly cut ties with France's Louvre Museum in the event that officials didn't return reportedly stolen artifacts in its possession. Thank the gods that everything is just fine and dandy now. Just in case you missed all that swirling news, here is a list with all the details:

• Egypt Cuts Ties With Louvre Over Artifacts - October 7, CBSNEWS
• No Relics, No Ties - October 10, the Straits Times

And then France does the right thing:

• French Commission Agrees to Return Egyptian Art - October 9, Associated Press/Google
• France Ready to Hand Back Egyptian Murals - October 7, Yahoo! News/Reuters
• Louvre Agrees to Return Egyptian Relics - October 11, pressTV
• France to Return Disputed Tomb Fresco to Egypt - October 10, Washington Times (by Angela Charlton)
• Stolen Egyptian Relics On Their Way Home - October 9, Discovery Channel News (by Pascale Mollard-Chenebenoit)

Egypt Suspends Archaeological Cooperation with the Louvre

Originally published October 10, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog

After a German expedition alerted the SCA of stolen fragments during work at Dra Abu'l Naga, the SCA started a procedure to regain them from the Louvre, who claimed they didn't know anything of the sort happened. Read the rest of this article to learn more. There are also other reports of the same caliber, one at BBC News and another from Agence France Presse.

Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts from Brooklyn Museum Explores the Afterlife

Originally published September 27, 2009 | Art Daily

Exhibit: The Art of Death in Ancient Egypt

Originally published September 25, 2009 | Bakersfield | by Robert Yohe

Never before seen artifacts (collected by George Reisner for Mrs. Hearst) will be showcased at the Todd Madigan Gallery at Cal State Bakersfield in an exhibit called The Art and Death in Ancient Egypt, on loan from the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley. The article further discusses the importance of death to the ancients and the author's and his students' archaeological endeavors at Tell El-Hibeh.

Video: New Tombs Discovered at Dra Abu el Naga

Originally published September 23, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Zahi Hawass

'Alexander the Sexy' Seen in New Portrait

Originally published September 17, 2009 | Discovery Channel News | by Rossella Lorenzi

The following article regards more on the gem with Alexander the Great's likeness etched into it. It's a cute little thing and definitely showcases a "sexy Alexander." It's no wonder that proceeding rulers used his image (long after his death) for their own ends. The following is an excerpt from this article:

"The engraver portrayed Alexander without omitting any of the ruler's characteristics. The emperor is shown as young and forceful, with a strong chin, straight nose and long curly hair," Ayelet Gilboa, chairman of the archaeology department at Israel's University of Haifa, told Discovery News.

The distinct facial features of the work helped the researchers identify the subject as the legendary conqueror and emperor. But there was more.

Rare Discovery: Engraved Gemstone Carrying a Portrait of Alexander the Great

Originally published September 15, 2009 | Physorg

The following is an excerpt from Physorg; click on the above link to read the full article:

A rare and surprising archaeological discovery at Tel Dor: A gemstone engraved with the portrait of Alexander the Great was uncovered during excavations by an archaeological team directed by Dr. Ayelet Gilboa of the University of Haifa and Dr. Ilan Sharon of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

This sort of intricate artwork reminds me of artwork on grains of rice. So unlike Ramesses the Great, Alexander put his image on even the tiniest of material. I'm not surprised this artifact ended up in Israel; after all, Alexander traveled to many faraway places.

Museum's Egypt Exhibition Follows in Footsteps of Victorian Traveler

Originally published September 3, 2009 | Yorkshire Post

The Francis Frith's Egypt exhibition, opening next Wednesday, September 9, will feature photographs and ancient objects, including a mummy's mask, jewelery, pottery and textiles. There will be two sets of photographs, those taken by Victorian photographer Francis Frith during the 19th century and those by Egyptologist Bob Partridge of modern times. Partridge's photographs will showcase how Egyptian monuments have changed since Frith's time.

New Discovery Links Ancient Egypt and Jordan Valley Site

Originally published September 2, 2009 | The Jerusalem Post | by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

Excavations at Tel Bet Yerahcarved (a settlement along the ancient highway that connected Egypt to the rest of the Near East) yield a most unusual find: a stone plaque bearing archaic Egyptian signs, which are rare in Egypt (let alone anywhere else!). The find suggests the people of the Jordan Valley and Egypt (circa Dynasty I) had stronger ties than previously believed. Alas, a shining example of the reason for archaeology: not only to learn more about certain peoples (their habits, worldviews, lifestyles, technology, etc), but also to learn more about the connectivity they had with each other. I'd like to give lip service to Kara Cooney's series on the Discovery Channel, Out of Egypt; through the ancient Egyptian culture(s) she examines others around the world and throughout the ages.

Mummies, Hieroglyphs and Myths at the Nicholson

Originally published August 25, 2009 | The University of Sydney

Opening tomorrow (Wednesday, August 26) at the University of Sydney is an exhibit entitled Egyptians, Gods & Mummies: Travels with Herodotus, which will feature mummies of all kinds with 3D CT scans of one in particular, a column from the Temple of Bastet, and a column headstone of Bastet, just to name a few things, all of which will have descriptions as penned by Herodotus. Following the opening of the exhibit is a lecture given by forensic Egyptologist Janet Davey (ticket and booking information is provided). Featured through the exhibit's duration are several free Egyptian-themed Sunday lectures.

As envious as I am (once again, dear Reader!), I'm sort of leery about them providing information to the public using Herodotus' words. I'm hoping they will be descriptions only in terms of proportions and such and not an examination of meaning, symbolism, and dating (we've come a long way since Herodotus); though, I think I'd get a kick out of correcting errors I find (as I normally would do), whispering them softly into my sister's ear (but only if she asks, of course; she hates my little...ahem long...tangents).